How a fossilized ancestor's name guides a journey to the solar system's past

Space · Published 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: NASA's Lucy mission is traveling to the edges of our solar system to find the building blocks of our celestial neighborhood. By visiting ancient asteroids, scientists hope to reconstruct the history of our planetary origins, much like studying fossils reveals the history of human evolution.

To investigate an unprecedented quantity of asteroids, the Lucy probe is undertaking a primary 12-year journey. Its primary objective is to study the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, which are primitive remnants of the early solar system. These objects are trapped in stable orbits associated with Jupiter, though they do not orbit close to the planet. By examining these relics, researchers aim to uncover secrets regarding how the solar system first formed.

The mission's name is a deliberate nod to paleoanthropology. It is named after a fossilized human ancestor whose skeleton provided crucial insights into the evolution of humanity. In a similar fashion, the spacecraft serves as a tool for 'evolutionary' science on a cosmic scale, providing a look into the origins of our planetary environment.

The journey began on October 16, 2021, when Lucy launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida atop a United Launch Alliance V 401 rocket. The launch was managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center. Since its liftoff, the spacecraft has been preparing for a series of flybys, including encounters with Main Belt asteroids like Dinkinesh and Donaldjohanson, before reaching its primary targets in the Trojan population.

The mission timeline is meticulously planned to ensure high-quality data collection. Lucy is scheduled to fly by several Trojan asteroids, including Eurybates and Queta in August 2027, followed by Polymele in September 2027, and Leucus in April 2028. The journey continues through 2028 with Orus and concludes its primary Trojan sequence with Patroclus and Menoetius in March 2033.

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